Mihir Sen
Encyclopedia
Mihir Sen was an India
n lawyer
more notable for his career as a record-setting swimmer.
. He went to England to prepare himself for the bar but was attracted to swim across the channel. After a few unsuccessful attempts, he became the first Indian to swim the English Channel
, from Dover to Calais on September 27 1958.
infested with poisonous snakes and sharks. He was assisted by the Indian Navy in this venture. He was the first Asian to swim across the Strait of Gibraltar
in 8 hours 1 min on 24 August 1966. On 12 September 1966 he swam across the Dardanelles
and nine days later the Bosphorous.
He swam across the length of the Panama Canal
in two stages. He started on 29 October 1966 and finished on 31 October, swimming for a total of 34 hours 15 minutes.
Thus he swam across the seven seas of the five continents.He was the first in the world to do so. He undertook and completed six of these swimming feats, all in a year in 1966!
He swam more than 600km in sea/ocean water.
In 1959 he was awarded the Padma Shree, and in 1967, the Padma Bhushan
.
Mihir Sen was a barrister by profession, having been called to the bar in England. He was president of the Explorers Club of India. In the last stages of his life he suffered from loss of memory and lived a painful life.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
more notable for his career as a record-setting swimmer.
English channel swim
His father was a doctor in CuttackCuttack
Cuttack is the former capital of the state of Orissa, India. It is the headquarters of Cuttack district and is located about 20 km to the north east of Bhubaneswar, the capital of Orissa. The name of the city is an anglicised form of Kataka that literally means The Fort, a reference to the...
. He went to England to prepare himself for the bar but was attracted to swim across the channel. After a few unsuccessful attempts, he became the first Indian to swim the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
, from Dover to Calais on September 27 1958.
Other swimming activities
His next adventurous swimming expedition was from Talaimannar in Sri Lanka to Dhanuskodi in India, swimming for 25 hours 44 minutes, starting on 6 April 1966, across the Palk straitPalk Strait
Palk Strait is a strait between the Tamil Nadu state of India and the Mannar district of the Northern Province of the island nation of Sri Lanka. It connects the Bay of Bengal in the northeast with the Palk Bay and thence with the Gulf of Mannar in the southwest. The strait is wide. Several...
infested with poisonous snakes and sharks. He was assisted by the Indian Navy in this venture. He was the first Asian to swim across the Strait of Gibraltar
Strait of Gibraltar
The Strait of Gibraltar is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and separates Spain in Europe from Morocco in Africa. The name comes from Gibraltar, which in turn originates from the Arabic Jebel Tariq , albeit the Arab name for the Strait is Bab el-Zakat or...
in 8 hours 1 min on 24 August 1966. On 12 September 1966 he swam across the Dardanelles
Dardanelles
The Dardanelles , formerly known as the Hellespont, is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with its counterpart the Bosphorus. It is located at approximately...
and nine days later the Bosphorous.
He swam across the length of the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
in two stages. He started on 29 October 1966 and finished on 31 October, swimming for a total of 34 hours 15 minutes.
Thus he swam across the seven seas of the five continents.He was the first in the world to do so. He undertook and completed six of these swimming feats, all in a year in 1966!
He swam more than 600km in sea/ocean water.
In 1959 he was awarded the Padma Shree, and in 1967, the Padma Bhushan
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, but comes before the Padma Shri. It is awarded by the Government of India.-History:...
.
Mihir Sen was a barrister by profession, having been called to the bar in England. He was president of the Explorers Club of India. In the last stages of his life he suffered from loss of memory and lived a painful life.